


Test Your Strength!

by IChallengeMyFate (Ealdremen)



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-14
Updated: 2015-02-14
Packaged: 2018-03-12 05:56:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3346061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ealdremen/pseuds/IChallengeMyFate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lon’qu and Nowi go to a fair for Nowi’s birthday, and a particular game catches Nowi’s eye shortly after they arrive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Test Your Strength!

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on ichallengemyfate.tumblr.com.

Lon’qu gritted his teeth as Nowi pulled him deeper into the crowded fairgrounds, trying to keep his expression neutral but failing more and more with each passing second. Each and every time they passed an embarrassingly colorful tent that held some sort of game or goods to sell, they ended up running right through a line of people. Nowi didn’t seem to understand that Lon’qu couldn’t duck and weave his way through crowds like she could, sometimes even pulling him through a cluster of people who were clearly deep in conversation. Of course, it always fell to Lon’qu to mumble an apology when Nowi did this, since she refused to stop for anything as silly as courtesy.

“Isn’t this great?!” Nowi hollered above the clamor. “I’ve always wanted to go to a fair! This is the best birthday ever!”

She flashed him a toothy grin, apparently oblivious to Lon’qu’s obvious discomfort – or perhaps just uncaring. He glanced back and saw the main exit, decorated in all manner of flowers and garish paint, growing farther away with every step. Resigned to his fate, he sighed and turned away. Nowi would probably tire herself out eventually, and then they could leave to do something a bit less… loud. She was excitedly craning her head in every direction to take in the sights, likely already mentally charting out their course of action.

Lon’qu ran his free hand through his hair and shook his head, following her gaze and trying to prepare himself for where she’d drag him next. The games that had an array of shiny stones as prizes would likely be their next destination, or maybe the nearby corral that held several ponies. All he had to do was survive until Nowi got bored. Maybe he’d even get lucky and she wouldn’t find anything of interest.

“Ooh, Lon’qu! What’s that?” His hopes died the moment the words left her mouth.

Nowi pointed to a large, thick wooden pole that about a dozen men were lined up in front of. A small chute with a tiny stone at its bottom eventually led up to the bell that sat atop the contraption’s pinnacle. Lon’qu blinked slowly, trying to recall what it was. This was definitely something he had seen before…

“Step right up! Test yer strength!” shouted the carny with his hands cupped around his mouth. “Who’s the strongest o’ them all? If y’get higher than halfway, it doesn’t cost a thing! Hit the bell…” He gestured to the top with an open palm. “…and I pay _you!_ Time t’ separate the men from the boys! Who’s worthy o’ bein’ called a man here?”

A memory stirred from the carny’s call, and Lon’qu nodded to himself.

“A high-striker. You hit the base with a hammer. A lever under the base shoots the stone up to measure how hard you hit it.” He dimly recalled trying one as a child and not managing to hit any higher than the lowest rank. Surprisingly, Nowi stayed put after his explanation instead of running off to the nearest tent, apparently enraptured by the high-striker.

The first man in line, a big brute who probably could snap the twig-like carny in two, took the thick hammer from its resting place against the high-striker. Nearby spectators whispered in awe, as did a few of the men waiting for their turn. Even the carny seemed somewhat impressed by the man’s stature.

The man steeled his grip on the weapon and raised it high above his head. With a loud cry, he slammed the hammer down on the high-striker’s base. The little stone was propelled up to the level that said “Try Harder!”, and it unceremoniously fell back to the bottom. The men behind the brute guffawed, and the loser begrudgingly handed a few coins to the carny and shuffled off in embarrassment. The carny smirked and pocketed the coins, resuming his previous call as if nothing had happened.

Nowi’s eyes grew wide with excitement. “Whoa… I wanna try!”

She shot forward to get in line, but Lon’qu dug his heels into the ground and tugged her back. Quizzically, and perhaps also a bit miffed, Nowi glanced at him, confusion plain on her face.

“It’s rigged,” he explained.

“How?” Nowi asked, tilting her head.

His eyes darted back and forth between Nowi and the high-striker. The carny was handing the hammer to the next man in line. This one seemed a bit more apprehensive after seeing the brutish man’s failure; on closer examination, a few of the men had left the line and joined the spectators. How could Nowi not see what they did?

Lon’qu raised a brow. “You saw that man before, did you not?”

“Yeah, he was huge!” Nowi held her arms as far apart as she could to demonstrate the size of the man. “He could probably pick you up and throw you in a river easily!”

Lon’qu chose to ignore that comment. Now that Nowi had let go of him, he crossed his arms. “And yet he lost, not even hitting halfway. What makes you think you’d fare much better?”

Nowi crossed her own arms, too, mimicking his posture. She tapped her foot, making a “Hmmm” sound as she thought to herself. For a moment, Lon’qu thought he may have convinced her to try another game. Perhaps one of those ring-tossing games would be better – at least she would have a chance at winning that. He started to walk off, letting his arms drop to his sides, but he felt the familiar clasp of Nowi’s hands around his wrist as she pulled him back. Even before she said anything, he could only sigh when he saw the bright, mischievous glint in her eyes.

“Why don’t _you_ play, then?”

He wrenched his arm free. “No.”

“Oh, come on!” Nowi pouted and grabbed him again, her grip more intense. “You were one of the strongest of the Shepherds!”

He shook himself, as if to dislodge the praise, but Nowi kept insisting, trying to pull him to the line for the high-striker. She couldn’t budge him, much to her frustration, though it didn’t keep her from trying. So insistent were her cries that some of the spectators were staring at _them_ instead of the men trying their luck with the high-striker. A tint of red sprang up to Lon’qu’s cheeks at their stares.

“The game is _rigged._ I’m not going to waste my money on it,” Lon’qu said, a growl entering his voice.

“Are you scared? I thought you were a real man!” jeered Nowi.

She stuck her tongue out at him. It struck Lon’qu as a little ridiculous that _he_ was one acting like an adult here, considering Nowi was at least a thousand years his senior, but there wasn’t any room to wedge that into their argument. Hoping to cool her immaturity by staying calm, or to at least avoid causing more of a scene, he took a deep breath and kept his voice low.

“It’s foolish to fight an unwinnable battle.”

“Lon’qu’s a chicken!” Nowi tucked her hands under her armpits and flapped her arms around like wings. “Bawk, bawk, Bawk’qu!”

Lon’qu narrowed his eyes, feeling the stares of the spectators all the more profoundly. “Stop. You’re being immature.”

Pitifully, she wailed, “Because you’re ruining my special day!”

Lon’qu groaned and kicked at a rock at the ground, not meeting Nowi’s gaze. He already knew what he’d see if he looked her in the eye – the maligned “puppy dog eyes,” as she called them. However, he couldn’t escape for long; she brought herself right in front of him and stared up at him deplorably. With a long sigh, Lon’qu looked up at the cloudless sky and grumbled so quietly he could barely even hear himself.

“Fine.”

Nowi squealed with delight and hugged him tight, though her height had her burying her head just below his chest. Lon’qu grunted in surprise, the flush of embarrassment returning.

“L-Let go of me!” If anything, that only made Nowi tighten her grip on him. “People are staring.”

“Aww, I forgot you’re so shy.” Nowi let go and started to lead him to the back of the line; if she heard the snickers of nearby fair patrons, she didn’t show it.

His footsteps were slow and heavy, nothing at all like the bounce in Nowi’s steps. “I am _not_ shy,” Lon’qu grumbled.

When the third man in a row failed to hit even higher than halfway, more of the men in line drifted away, not wanting to lose their money. The ones who remained only met failure for their efforts; one even muttered something about how the game was definitely impossible to win. This warning did nothing to curb Nowi’s enthusiasm, and she gave Lon’qu a shove once it was his turn.

“Haven’t run off yet, eh?” the carny asked with a wink. Turning to the audience, he shouted, “Ladies and gentlemen, this man’s bravery _must_ be commended!”

He clapped his hands, and the crowd returned the applause. Lon’qu groaned. Why did this have to turn into a _spectacle?_

“Hey! He would’ve run away it I hadn’t stopped him!” Nowi protested. A ripple of laughter surged from the spectators. Lon’qu gave another groan; they all probably thought Nowi was his younger sister or, even worse, his daughter. Even if there wasn’t anything he could do about those assumptions, they still set him on edge.

“Right, right. Stand back, little lady – don’t want you t’ get hit!” The carny handed Lon’qu the hammer, and he wondered just how this game could be rigged. The stone clearly only moved when the high-striker was struck, and this hammer was definitely heavy enough to do the job. It wasn’t hollow, so perhaps the trick was in the high-striker itself.

Lon’qu stepped forward and stared at the base of the high-striker. It was painted like a target, the bright red center worn away by years and years of abuse, and the whole of the target was higher than the rest of the base. Just like the high-striker he’d seen as a child, there had to be a lever of some kind under the target that went to the chute with the stone. Maybe the other men had just been hitting the target wrong.

Somewhat emboldened by the idea of besting the carny’s game, he raised the hammer above his head. Lon’qu knew that if he didn’t give it all his strength, Nowi would know right away and demand he try again. He focused on the center of the raised target and brought down the hammer with all his might. There was a loud smack of the hammer striking the wood, and the stone barely passed the level marked “Puny Weakling”. Nowi’s sigh of disappointment rang louder in Lon’qu’s ears than it probably should have.

“Ooh, too bad, Mr. Brave Man!” Grudgingly, Lon’qu plucked some coins out of his pocket and dumped them into the carny’s outstretched hand. “Better luck next time!”

Lon’qu felt Nowi tug on his arm, but he was still staring at the high-striker. There was something about how the wood hadn’t given at all when he hit it, like it should have if there was a lever underneath it. Hitting the target had felt more akin to just hitting a tree’s root and expecting it to do something to the trunk. Something was wrong here, just as he had expected, but he felt no smug assurance at being right. All he felt was rising anger from being on the receiving end of the scam.

“Excuse me.”

Lon’qu knelt down and reached underneath the raised target. The carny shot forward to pull him back, but Lon’qu quickly found what he was looking for. His hand felt something soft amid the wood and metal that made up the high-striker. He pulled out a stack of thick cloths that had been jammed under the lever and held them up to the carny.

“Odd. Who put those there?” There was a definite hint of danger to his tone, and the carny picked up on it, his face paling instantly.

Nowi experimentally placed one of her feet on the target, putting a little weight on it. The stone rose a little from the pressure. Realizing what had happened, the spectators started to sling insults at the carny, a few of the high-striker’s victims shaking their fists and shouting the loudest.

Satisfied, Lon’qu took the hammer up again and grunted for Nowi to step aside. She scurried away, and he slammed the hammer down the moment she’d moved. The bell sounded above the clamor, and the crowd’s boos turned to cheers instead. He set the hammer down and turned to the carny, noting the fear in the skinny man’s eyes. Keeping his expression stoic, Lon’qu held out his hand.

“I believe I won.” Perhaps fearing the crowd’s retribution, the carny pulled out a sack that jingled with the sound of coins and immediately turned it over to Lon’qu. Lon’qu curtly nodded and walked away, Nowi in tow. As if a spell had been broken, the spectators swarmed around the carny, hollering that they wanted to try the high-striker next.

Nowi seemed almost triumphant as she looked back at the scene, and she gently unhooked Lon’qu’s fingers from the sack of coins. He didn’t fight her and let her take the money from him. She unloosed the string keeping the sack’s mouth shut and looked inside. The glint in her eyes was probably less from the amount of money and more from how shiny the coins were.

“Haha! That’s what he gets for cheating!” After pocketing the sack, Nowi coiled her arms around Lon’qu’s arm. “So, what’re we gonna do now? Can we play the ring tossing game? That looked really fun!”

Lon’qu gawked at her, his eyes wide with surprise and utter horror. “You… You mean you still want to stay at this fair?”

“Duh! The day’s only just started!” Nowi’s eyes lit up. “Ooh, hey! Look over there! I bet you could win that knife throwing game! You’re real good with pointy stuff, and I think they had some nice stuff as prizes!”

“Wait,” Lon’qu half-muttered, “was this all so _I_ could win things _for_ you?”

Nowi only smirked knowingly as she tugged Lon’qu along to the next game.


End file.
